DIVA: My impression is that because trans people themselves do not usually wield the camera, even the most sympathetic documentaries sometimes border on the freakshow. One of the things that makes your film so effective is that - obviously - you called the shots. At what point in your transition did you decide to make the film (or a film)? As a filmmaker, could you not have made a film about such a huge personal experience?

Gwen: When I first told my parents about my gender identity in 2000, my mom asked if there was something she could watch that not only showed what I would be going through as I transitioned genders, but how families deal with such a huge shift in their understanding of a loved one's identity. Sadly, I couldn't find anything on transsexuality that presented family dynamics in a thorough and proactive manner.

It also struck me that all the representations we've seen in mainstream media were made by non-trans individuals, and that if we wanted to shift the trans representations away from the old stereotypes, tragedies, and disempowering images, that it was imperative for trans folk to pick up the camera and to create new narratives from perspectives from within our communities. And with the staggering level of suicide reported of trans individuals, partly due to isolation and depression, it felt like an incredibly important story to share with others, to help facilitate family discussions, mutual understanding, and compassion.

So, though I had initially intended to shoot a narrative film for my graduate thesis project at the University of British Columbia, I dropped it to make She's a Boy I Knew. I realized that the documentary needed to be shot then and there if I wanted to capture my family while they were still able to articulate their feelings, perspectives, and emotions. If I'd waited a couple years before interviewing them, I'd never be able to capture this level of intimacy.

Did you know when you started, how the film would turn out? Was the process of making it therapeutic in terms of your relationships with friends/ family or nerve-wracking?

I resisted making this film for a while because I worried that it would amount to little more than a 'therapy film'… cathartic for the filmmaker but less interesting for an audience. Yet, I was aware that there's a real dearth of films out there whose primary target audience are the families & communities surrounding trans folk. So, as I went through my gender transition, I began to recognize that I had this amazing opportunity to document a family that was not only sticking together through the process, but had grown closer in doing so.

That said, making the film was quite an emotional experience, and after nearly three years of editing the interview footage, my appreciation for my family and their ability to overcome their preconceptions of gender & sexuality has grown immeasurably.

Your mother is really a big star in the film. You mentioned at the LLGFF screening that she and your partner's mother were going to take questions after a forthcoming screening in the US. Has that happened yet? How did it go?

Yeah… my mom went down to the Miami Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, and presented the film with my partner Heidi's mom. She was quite apprehensive at first, but I encouraged her to go, because I knew it would be an eye-opener for her to experience how much queer folk appreciate parents who stick by their LGBT kids.

The moms had a blast! The audience was deeply moved and incredibly giving in return. After speaking with a number of folk, my mom came away with more of an understanding of how painful it can be for LGBT folk to lose their family due to non-acceptance. It helped her to positively re-evaluate her own journey towards accepting both my sister's and my queer identities, and to realize that support isn't about blind acceptance, but rather about continuing to be there for one another with the willingness to work through difficult issues in a proactive manner.

Finally, how many cats were in that film? I think I counted about seven! Are cats a big part of your life?

I lost count, myself! I always considered myself a dog person, but, I've moved almost every year for the past decade and finding a place to rent in Vancouver as a dog owner can be a challenge. And it looks like dogs will be out of the picture for a while, as my partner Heidi & I are planning to move to Toronto next year, and to have baby soon after.
Though, I must note that two of the cats in the film are mine and that they've definitely won me over with their affection. They were loving companions through some of the darker moments of my transition. It certainly doesn't hurt that one of them is under the impression that she's a dog… and who am I to tell her otherwise?

She’s A Boy I Knew is touring the UK now as part of the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival’s touring programme. For details, go to www.bfi.org.uk/llgff